[Recipe] Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies GF/DF/V

Hooray! I finally got around to putting together this post. I’m sure you’re happy too. I’ll give you a minute to drool…

Go ahead, take your time…

I did the same exact thing when I first heard the name of these tasty morsels! I had just found the adorable blog Fork and Beans and I was instantly enamored with all of her recipes – but this one called out to me. They were perfect for my office team because some of us have gluten tummy issues and/or are vegan, etc. BUT we still want to have tasty treats! haha These worked out really well and were a crowd pleaser!

1 T flaxseed meal + 3 T warm water (mix and set for 5 minutes to be your “egg”)

1 T nondairy milk (I used almond milk)

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

2 C gluten free flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t xanthan gum

1/2 t sea salt

1 c nondairy chocolate chips (if you don’t care about these being dairy-free, you can use regular chocolate chips!)

9 pieces of Sea Salt Cocomel’s Caramels, each cut into 4s (or if you don’t care about these being vegan, you can just use any caramels!)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whip up the shortening and sugars together until well-blended. It’s best to use an electric mixer.

Add the flax “egg” and blend in.

Add the vanilla and nondairy milk and mix until blended.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the other dry ingredients.

Add half into the shortening mix and blend in well. Add the remainder of the dough and repeat. If your dough does not roll up into a ball and you find it crumbly, add another tablespoon of nondairy milk.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Roll 1 tablespoon of cookie dough into a ball. Place 1 piece of the caramel into the middle of the ball and smooth over to ensure that it cannot be seen. Repeat for the remainder of the dough.

Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for approximately 10 minutes (mine took about 12 minutes to get slightly brown because I was using a newer cookie sheet – so do what works for you but stay around 10 minutes!)

Allow to cool down on the baking sheet for 1-2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

Some of your cookies will drool out caramel and that is completely okay! If that happens all you have to do is take a spatula and gently bring the caramel and cookie together and intact.